Ncaa Breakdown Tourney + Bubble

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SHAMELESSLY STOLE THIS FROM ANOTHER SITE..THANKS TO CANADAIAN COATES...WILL TAKE SEVERAL POSTS

clinch and teams on the bubble!!!
America East (1)
Conference champ: Boston U.
The Terriers have opened up a two-game lead over Vermont and can virtually seal up the league race with a win in Burlington on Saturday. BU will have a tremendous advantage for the postseason: The league tournament's first round and semifinals will be played at Walter Brown Arena, with the finals slated for the home of the highest remaining seed. Unless Boston U. slips up, it will have the luxury of playing the entire tournament in familiar surroundings.
ACC (4)
Conference champ: Maryland.
At-large: Wake Forest, Duke, N.C. State.
Bubble burst: Virginia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina.
Maryland, despite all its inconsistency this season, can really go for the throat in the ACC race by completing a season sweep of Duke on Wednesday. Monday's win over Wake Forest was arguably the Terps' best outing of the year, generating positive momentum entering the visit to Cameron. If the defending champs open up a two-game lead over the Blue Devils with only four to play, they could sew up the regular-season title before month's end.
Atlantic Sun (1)
Conference champ: Mercer.
The Bears notched a hard-fought 83-80 win over Troy State, tying the Trojans atop the league's South division. Both schools hit the road this week for huge tests at Central Florida, which trails the co-leaders by just half a game. In the North, Belmont owns a two-game lead over Samford and Jacksonville State.
Atlantic 10 (3)
Conference champ: Xavier.
At-large: Dayton, St. Joseph's.
Bubble burst: Richmond, Rhode Island.
David West's 47-point effort against Dayton helped the Muskies survive Round 1 of the series that will decide the West race. It may take a similar output to get Xavier another victory in this weekend's rematch. The Flyers are 13-0 at UD Arena, which conveniently for them, is the host site for this year's conference tournament.
Big East (5)
Conference champ: Syracuse.
At-large: Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Connecticut, Villanova.
Bubble burst: BC, Seton Hall, St. John's.
Villanova seniors Gary Buchanan and Ricky Wright combined for 41 points to down Connecticut last Saturday, reclaiming the East division lead. The Wildcats, who have been up and down all season, had Monday's game at Seton Hall postponed and will visit Providence on Saturday as they look to improve their tenuous standing.
Big Sky (1)
Conference champ: Weber State.
The Wildcats held off Montana State on Saturday to move to 10-0 in league play. The Big Sky Tournament appears headed back to Ogden for the first time since 1999, which is the last time Weber State made it to the NCAAs. Weber made it a memorable time, upsetting North Carolina as star guard Harold "the Sheaux" Arceneaux became part of tournament lore.

CONT'D NEXT POST

 

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PART 2

PART 2

Big South (1)
Conference champ: Winthrop.
Five consecutive NCAA Tournaments? That's where Winthrop appears headed if it can continue the level of play that has landed it back atop the league standings. The Eagles can clinch another regular-season title with home wins over Liberty and Charleston Southern.
Big Ten (5)
Conference champ: Wisconsin.
At-large: Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota.
Bubble burst: Michigan State, Iowa.
No Big Ten school is playing better basketball than the Badgers, who earned wins over Michigan State and Indiana last week. Steady Kirk Penney has gotten help from superb athlete Alando Tucker and lightning-quick guard Devin Harris to lead Wisconsin to victories in eight of its past nine. Next up for Bo Ryan's team is a visit to Penn State on Wednesday.
Big 12 (6)
Conference champ: Kansas.
At-large: Texas, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado.
Bubble burst: Texas Tech, Texas A&M.
The Jayhawks weathered the storm without Wayne Simien and look extremely imposing with him back on the front line alongside Nick Collison. Wednesday night offers a chance for revenge for the lone blemish on their league record, dealt to them by Colorado on Jan. 22.
Big West (1)
Conference champ: Santa Barbara.
Bubble burst: Utah State, UC Irvine.
It's looking more and more like it will be one and done for this conference -- bids that is. With UCSB moving into the conference lead, Utah State's impressive resume lacks a key component. The Aggies have to hope the Gauchos slip up, as without a regular-season title, it's likely that the selection committee will overlook what could potentially be a 25-win season for USU.
Colonial (1)
Conference champ: UNC-Wilmington.
The race in the CAA has gotten tight, with three teams pulling within 1? games of league-leading UNCW. The Seahawks do control their own destiny, hosting George Mason (Feb. 19) and Virginia Commonwealth (Mar. 1) before season's end. VCU is currently the league's hottest team with six consecutive victories, nearly all in convincing fashion.
Conference USA (5)
Conference champ: Louisville.
At-large: Marquette, Cincinnati, Memphis, DePaul.
Bubble burst: UAB.
Louisville's victory over Marquette allows them to hold on to a No. 1 seed despite the setback at Saint Louis earlier in the week. Saturday's visit to Cincinnati is the league's marquee game of the week, as the Bearcats look to put an emphatic end to their recent demise. With losses in five of their past six, Bob Huggins' team is putting itself dangerously close to the bubble

 

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PART 3

PART 3

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Horizon League (1)
Conference champ: Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Bubble burst: Butler, Illinois-Chicago.
Butler's loss at Loyola (Ill.) last Thursday put its at-large hopes in serious jeopardy. The Bulldogs trail UWM by more than a full game and won't have the luxury of being seen in this year's Bracket Buster event -- the team that arguably needs it more than anyone will get no face time.
Ivy League (1)
Conference champ: Pennsylvania.
Brown provided Penn with a significant scare in last Saturday's battle of Ivy unbeatens, but ultimately didn't have enough to end the Quakers' 17-game conference winning streak. The Quakers visit Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend, but probably won't be seriously challenged again until they reunite with Brown on Feb. 28.
MAAC (1)
Conference champ: Manhattan.
Narrow losses to Fairfield and Iona have likely cost the Jaspers any hopes they had of potentially earning an at-large bid. Manhattan must now task itself with getting back on track to claim the regular-season title, as that would earn them a bye into the semifinals of the league tournament.
MAC (1)
Conference champ: Kent State.
Bubble burst: Central Michigan, Northern Illinois.
The Golden Flashes snapped a three-game slide in a big way on Tuesday, crushing Buffalo 98-55. With Central Michigan and Northern Illinois playing superbly, Kent State is no longer considered the runaway favorite to take the conference tournament. As a result, it must finish strong in its final four regular-season games to improve its at-large chances. Defeating Hawaii in this week's Bracket Buster battle would be a step in the right direction.
MEAC (1)
Conference champ: South Carolina State.
The Bulldogs suffered their first league loss in 12 outings last week, falling in overtime at home against surging Coppin State. Despite the setback, they hold a two-game lead in the loss column over Hampton, whose firm grip on this league may have finally slipped.
Mid-Con (1)
Conference champ: Valparaiso.
The Crusaders have won 10 of 11 entering this week's home games against Oakland and IUPUI. Thursday's meeting with the Golden Grizzlies brings the challenge of containing national scoring leader Mike Helms (28 ppg), who torched them for 37 points in their first meeting, a 72-70 win.
Missouri Valley (2)
Conference champ: Creighton.
At-large: Southern Illinois.
Bubble burst: SW Missouri State.
Creighton and Southern Illinois remain on course to settle the league race in their Mar. 1 showdown in Carbondale. This weekend's chore is to look good in their Bracket Buster games, enhancing the probability that the Missouri Valley will again gain multiple bids to this year's NCAAs. The Salukis are hosting Horizon leader Wisconsin-Milwaukee, while the Blue Jays host WAC-leading Fresno State.
Mountain West (3)
Conference champ: Utah.
At-large: BYU, Wyoming.
Bubble burst: UNLV, San Diego State.
The point guard combo of Tim Drisdom and Marc Jackson is already one of the country's most disruptive. Drisdom, a freshman, is lightning quick and plays terrific defense, while Jackson seemingly gets to the hole at will and defines "clutch." The duo has become the catalyst for a Utah squad that you want nowhere near your team's bracket. If Britton Johnsen ever becomes a consistent go-to guy, the Utes have the potential to go deep into the tournament.
Northeast (1)
Conference champ: Wagner.
The Seahawks solidified their hold on the NEC with a 61-58 win over defending league champ Central Connecticut State on Tuesday. Wagner now owns season sweeps of the Blue Devils and Monmouth, giving them tiebreakers over the conference's second and third-place teams. Dereck Whittenburg's team also has the luxury of playing its next three at home, starting with Thursday's meeting with Mount St. Mary's.
Ohio Valley (1)
Conference champ: Morehead State.
The comeback kids at Morehead held on to their spot atop the OVC with an 88-87 win over Eastern Kentucky last Saturday. Marquis Sykes' three-point play with four seconds remaining served as the game-winner, keeping the Eagles from falling behind Austin Peay. The Governors have won nine consecutive games and will host Morehead in the Mar. 1 regular-season finale.
Pac-10 (5)
Conference champ: Arizona.
At-large: Stanford, California, Oregon, Arizona State.
Bubble burst: Southern California.
Arizona State's commanding victories over Southern California and UCLA strengthened its improving NCAA Tournament chances. Rob Evans' team is actually gaining momentum down the stretch, with seniors Shawn Redhage and Curtis Millage peaking at the perfect time to complement freshman center Ike Diogu's efforts inside. The Sun Devils, who haven't been to the Big Dance since 1995, can really cement their spot with an upset of top-ranked Arizona on Saturday.

 

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PART 4

PART 4

Patriot League (1)
Conference champ: Holy Cross.
Holy Cross eased past second-place Lafayette on Saturday to further distance itself from the Patriot pack. A home win over American on Friday would virtually clinch the regular-season title, while also atoning for the Crusaders' lone league loss, a 72-49 drubbing suffered in D.C. on Jan. 26.
SEC (6)
Conference champ: Kentucky.
At-large: Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee.
Bubble burst: Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss.
Tennessee is being carried to the NCAAs by Ron Slay, who will likely get support for SEC player of the year honors. Recent upsets of Georgia and Florida have the Vols in great shape to be tourney-bound, which wasn't expected considering the Vols missed out last year and lost Marcus Haislip and Vincent Yarbrough to the NBA. Alabama has continued its plunge and finds itself on the outside looking in despite a Top 30 RPI.
Southern (1)
Conference champ: College of Charleston.
Despite the suspension of starting center Mike Benton and two others, the Cougars asserted their superiority in the SoCon, besting Appalachian State in a battle of the league's division leaders. After losing consecutive league games in early January, Charleston has won nine in a row to rekindle its hopes of earning an at-large bid should it falter in the league tournament.
Southland (1)
Conference champ: Sam Houston State.
The Bearkats have won nine consecutive games since losing at Stephen F. Austin on Jan. 18, and will have a chance at payback Saturday in a game that will likely decide the conference race. The showdown showcases two of the Southland's top big men in SHS' Donald Cole and Lumberjacks forward Percy Green.
Sun Belt (1)
Conference champ: Louisiana-Lafayette.
Bubble burst: Western Kentucky, New Mexico State.
The Ragin' Cajuns have run away with the West, clinching the division title with Saturday's 69-58 win at New Mexico State. Part of the success can be credited to the continuing development of Michael Southall, now undeniably the league's top center given Chris Marcus' decision to withdraw from Western Kentucky.
SWAC (1)
Conference champ: Texas Southern.
There's a three-way tie at the top of the standings entering Saturday's action, while surging Mississippi Valley has closed within a half game of the league lead. The Delta Devils have won four consecutive games and can move ahead of co-leader Prairie View by winning this weekend's visit. This league's winner is likely bound for the play-in game.
WAC (1)
Conference champ: Fresno State.
Bubble burst: Hawaii, Nevada, Louisiana Tech.
Louisiana Tech stretched its winning streak to seven with a 99-97 overtime win at Nevada on Saturday. You would be hard-pressed to find a team that has helped itself more lately than the Bulldogs, who also won at Tulsa and Fresno State last week to move into the thick of the WAC race.
West Coast (1)
Conference champ: Gonzaga.
The 'Zags lost F/C Richard Fox for the rest of the season last week, seriously damaging the team's depth. Fox, a transfer from Colorado who served as the primary backup to Zack Gourde and Cory Violette, broke a finger on his left hand that will take one month to fully heal. Gonzaga hosts Tulsa on Saturday.


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